Background

Comprising 8 per cent of the total population, tribal people constitute the lowest strata of the informal economy in India. Faced with development challenges on account of social, economic, and geographic exclusion, a steadily depleting livelihood based, illiteracy, and lack of awareness of their rights and the market potential of their skills and resources, they are particularly vulnerable to exploitation, distress migration, and the debt trap.

Objectives

Creation of a pilot model to demonstrate participatory implementation modalities for tribal empowerment and community driven approaches to gender and culture sensitive employment and entrepreneurial initiatives.

Strategy

In a cluster of selected villages, the project, funded by AUSAID, CIDA, DANIDA and MIGROS Coopertive Federation of Switzerland, seeks to:

• Promote sustainable livelihood and self-reliance among tribal people by promoting cooperatives and culturally appropriate employment opportunities;
• Strengthen the role of tribal women and youth in economic development and decision-making; and
• Promote social dialogue and development partnerships between tribal people and government agencies through the dissemination of good practices of community based participatory development.